Another Dreary Sunday....Off to the Experimentarium!

Yep, yet another in a long series of dank, dreary days here in Kyiv.  We decided to hit the Experimentarium this morning, a new science "hands on" museum that has opened in Podil.  We wanted to get there just as the doors opened as we had heard from our good friend Merilee (see her post on her family's visit here) that the place gets jammed after 12.

 Here are some scenes from our adventure....

Here we are at the entrance....

Fun mirrors.  Gio loved his "fat me" look.

The beginning of the exhibit (the museum is three floors, with the top two being the exhibits and the bottom the store, registration and one day, a cafe) had all sorts of pulleys set up.  Gio loved being lifted up in a chair and this "roundy" swing.  

Terrible pictures, I know, but we were inside a very dark mirror maze. Gio would have stayed in this for hours playing hide-and-seek.  We eventually lured him out when we told him what was lurking around the next corner....

....a giant fire truck to drive!

This room was filled with noise making activites- perfect for Gio! This box in the corner was hilarious. Gio would stick his head in and yell as loud as he could and the light bulbs above would light up according to how loud he was.  Believe it or not, he only was able to light 6.  Who could possibly yell louder than this kid???

A working piano with its innards on display!

Another room was filled with marble activities. This one showed the normal distrinbution/bell curve principle. Gio just loved the noise it made each time he tilted it.

Serious concentration. 

Marble runs were all around.  I wondered how they kept track of all of the marbles. They were flying all over the place. I imagine some go home in kids' pockets...

About 50% of the exhibits had English signs, which was a nice surprise for us!

Here is an old gem of a puzzle I used to give to my 4th and 5th graders- the one where you have to get a chicken, a wolf and some food across a river but can only carry two at a time but you do not want to leave any two together where one might eat/kill the other.  

A chair of nails.  "It doesn't hurt my butt at all!"

On the top floor of the museum there were wind exhibits, body, magnet, and bubble activities. This tornado demonstration was a big hit with Gio.  We probably returned to it 8 times.  

Body parts.  There were guides all around the museum leading tours for families and birthday parties. We were not able to sneak into them to learn about the exhibits since we could not follow the Russian/Ukrainian, but they did show us how to run a few of the demonstrations.  

Once back on the main floor we discovered this giant push pin display in the coat/locker area. Gio loved it but by this time the museum was so crowded that it was tough to really play with it too much.  

Gio is not shy, though, so he forced his way into the crowd. I was glad he was distracted as Paolo had stayed behind in the store to buy Gio a huge T-Rex model for his birthday. The store had a lot of great gifts and science-based toys, many of which I had never seen in Ukraine before.

So that was a great way to spend a Sunday morning.  I do NOT recommend going to this place anytime after 12 on a weekend.  It was terrific to have both floors virtually to ourselves from 10-11:30, but after that the crowds starting pouring in.

For my Kyiv friends, here is some info on the museum: It is open 10AM-8PM on weekends and 9:30-7 during the week.  The prices are quite high, by Kyiv standards.  We paid 235 UAH (about $26, but with the Hryvnia devaluing so much right now, perhaps it will a cheaper trip soon!) for the three of us.  There is no cafe yet, though it looks like they are working on one.  There are lockers and a coat check as well as an elevator, so if you are coming with a stroller you should be fine.
As for getting there, the address is Verkhniy Val, 2.  We drove (no traffic at all on a Sunday morning!) and there is a large lot right next to the building.  If you are coming on the metro, it is about a 10 minute walk from the Kontraktova Plosha metro stop (blue line).  When you get off the train, go right and exit the metro doors.  Then keep going left in the "tunnel" whenever you have a choice.  Take the stairs that go up to the street on your right just before the tunnel ends.  You will then see a Mafia restaurant and next to it a Wolkonsky Cafe (a great place to stop before or after the museum!).  Continue to walk straight on that street.  Pass the Zhitniy rinok (market) and you will come upon Experimentarium on your left just before the end of the large road.

Here is the link for the museum.  There is no English option, but Google Chrome will take care of that for you.

And for anyone considering a birthday here, have your wallet ready!  I had Paolo's assistant call about Gio's birthday (in two weeks!!) but we found out a birthday party with English speaking guides would cost 4800 UAH (about $530!).  Needless to say, Gio will not be hosting a party here on Dec 6.....